RTT Owner's Review

[Glenn-BJ74]

After sleeping in my Cruiser for the last 8 years I am considering purchasing a RTT next spring.
Doing some preliminary research I have discovered there are dozens and dozens of models on the market, varying widely in price, design and quality.

In general -- there seems to be several types of RTTs based on manufacturing origin and cost (low to high).

1) Chinese knock-offs
2) Brand name Asian (e.g. (ARB -Thailand)
3) South African (e.g. Ezi-Awn, Hannibal, etc.
4) European ~James Baround (French/Portuguese - saw this one in Moab), Autohome (Italian).

I know there are a few members that have have RTTs and I would like ask them to kindly review there model, in terms of the following ...

- Ease of deployment and pack-up (wet and dry)
- Aerodynamics (fuel economy, noise).
- Water resistance (during wind or heavy vertical downpour)
- Wind resistance (noise and side wall stability) - important in the desert.
- Condensation and ventilation.
- Weight and effect on center of gravity ( off chamber).
- Fold out style (gain shelter) vs. pop up hard-shells (no shelter).

Thanks in advance.

 

[ikeedikeed]

ARB Pilbara

Deployment - ~8min, pack-up ~12min (by myself). Warm weather bedding for two can fold inside but not cold weather bedding (down sleeping bags would be fine though). It packs fine wet, but as soon as I hit sun I pull over, open it up and dry it off.
Fuel economy - I have no idea.
Water resistance - We never got wet being poured on for three days in northern California.
Wind resistance - Strong winds in Moab bent a couple of my window shade tensioners but I just bent them back.
Condensation - gets a little damp on the inside walls when cold out but never really bothered me.
COG - never really noticed, but pales in comparison to the weight of my steel roof rack.
It's a fold-open clam-shell type deal. Awkward to mount. I drape a piece of carpet over my hatch, lift it onto the tailgate with a friend then push/teeter it over the back of my rack to get it up. Reverse to dismount.

If I could do it all over I'd probably get an Autohome style but they are $$$.

 

[wrongway around]

Hardshell clamshell, or atleast a hard shell, especially if your two or less occupants . This is one thing you get what you pay for . doesnt sound like long but ten minutes can seem longer when its miserable outside let alone in the dark and two sheets against the wind.

 

[Fantom]

I personally have not owned hard shell units but have spent time wheeling with people that do and have paid a lot of attention to them because I was always interested. So here is what my experience has earned me:

- Ease of deployment and pack-up (wet and dry)
Hard shell: very easy to open and pack. Snow or rain do not offer an issue in most cases. Most designs open in under a minute and close in a bit over that (have to fold material in so it doesn't pinch.
Fold up design: easy to open but requires more work. A bit of a pain to fold when raining or snowing. About two minutes to open (once you're used to it and if you don't have other accessories to setup) and about 4 minutes to close (after practice). The big side effect is having to go around it several times to tuck all the material in and then put the outside cover over it and secure it.

- Aerodynamics (fuel economy, noise).
Both are large boxes mounted on your roof with a gap under it acting like a very crappy spoiler. The hard shell ones are usually more aerodynamically designed but it's not like you're driving a race car. When they are on the roof, they all offer drag and resistance. If you have a pickup you can mount it at the same height as the roof and that's about the only way of reducing the drag.

- Water resistance (during wind or heavy vertical downpour)
Hard shell: The biggest negative of the hard shell design is their lack of awnings over windows and entry way. When it rains and you open it you're letting water in. Otherwise they work great.
Fold up: most fold up designs have covers over windows and door and give additional awnings that allow for dry entrance. I've never had mine leak even in really bad weather. When folded up wet the water has never seeped into the inside and my mattress and sleeping bag remained dry.
Both: the material should be regularly treated with waterproofing sprays meant for that material. Of course, when possible, dry after use to limit the chances of mold. When not using between trips, take the mattress out and store separately to limit the chance of mold.

- Wind resistance (noise and side wall stability) - important in the desert.
Fold up: fairly noisy during extremely windy weather due to the amount of material and different layers.
Hard shell: no clue, but they appear to be very sturdy and less noisy.

- Condensation and ventilation.
Fold up: a little, especially on cold nights, the factory little vents up top are almost useless, usually I crack a window a 1/4 way down and it works. A good option is to have a little space heater (coleman style works) and fire it up right before you plan getting up. Gets rid of condensation and heats up the tent too.
Hard shell: no clue.

- Weight and effect on center of gravity ( off chamber).
Fold up: around 110lbs +/-
hard shell: most designs are 120lb to 180lbs or more depending on model.

- Fold out style (gain shelter) vs. pop up hard-shells (no shelter).
For my needs the fold out style is better mainly because it provides the additional shelter and ability to leave stuff outside, hanging below the awning and still be dry (rain coat, boots, etc). It is more complicated to close up especially if raining or snowing and it is annoying to have to go around a couple times to be able to close it up. You do have to do something similar with the hard shell ones too and tuck in all the material but it is a lot quicker.
When designing the setup make sure to have good access all around your tent and can reach up to it to be able to tuck everything in with ease.
On a side note, the cheaper roof top tents that fold out (and the old ARB tents) were designed with a small "flaw". The awning over the stairs was designed to stand out more but was unsupported in the middle (first pic) which causes for rainwater and snow to collect up there and weigh it down. Basically creating a nice, heavy pool right in the middle. The new design (second pic) gives less room but doesn't collect any water. As far as I know only ARB is doing this, the rest of the guys still haven't figured it out.

There is always the price issue as well. The hard shell units are a lot more expensive.
There are some new options out there these days though:
http://www.cascadiatents.com/Mt-Thielsen.htm?m=87&s=615&&id=162

http://www.bigfoottents.com/Hard-Shell-Roof-Top-Tent-_p_9.html
that ones looks to have finally done an awning over the entrance.

 

[Rugy]

Have the James Baroud tent and we are very happy with the tent.
Arrived at Mogfest at 12pm after being on the road for 14 hour from Redding CA.
Tent was up in less then one minute.
We were in bed the next minute, so deployment is very quick and the JB mattress is extremely comfy.
The tent has a build in solar fan than can draw air in or expel it. Extremely quiet and a great feature.
No moisture dew or droplets in the morning with two occupants.
Leaving the bedding and pillows in the RTT makes thing convenient. No having to put things in and out of the RTT.
Ladder works fine but it will be changed and improved over the winter. Needs to be bit wider (due to boot size) and possible grab rail which will making getting down at 3am easier. Wife had no issue with the ladder.
Taking down the the tent as Matt mentioned takes 2-3 minutes, very fast once you have done it a few times.
We have the Grand Raid XXL and would like to see a cover for rainy days as in the Bigfoot tent.
Like the fact that the shell is fiberglass. Cloth has a finite life when exposed to the sun and the insulation on the hard shell's roof makes the rain much quieter. Also low branches could snag a soft top tent.
Have spent months in a soft tent listening to the rain.........
The tent has been on our 60 since August. Use it as a DD and removed it yesterday for storage over the winter.
My fuel mileage is bad to start with but will let you know if I see an improvement.

 

[sailor]

Yeah the desert wind (that always blows like hell in the middle of the night!) will likely keep you awake in any tent- hard or soft- that is the nice thing about being in the truck. That said my chinese knock off same as the firts ARB pictured above..(everytent) survived a cyclone in Oroville that destroyed a pop up travel trailer and sent my pop top shelter thing into the next county... I would not own anything without awnings over the windows doors for rain/sun exclusion

 

[Fantom]

Also, if you get a fold up tent I would recommend modifying the ladder so it is detachable. I did this on mine after the first one beat up the underside of the tent (where it mounts to). Due to vibrations, bumps and most trails the ladders (even when tied down) do end up rubbing and bouncing up against the underside of the floor creating a bunch of dents and wearing through the paint. Over time I suspect it could cause enough damage to maybe wear a hole or tear through the first layer of aluminum skin. If you make it removable (on some pins) it serves two purposes, one you don't damage the tent and 2 you have an extension ladder that is about 6' tall that helps you move around the vehicle to open or close your tent and to hang any rope higher up in trees.
Glenn, you've seen where I take my truck . In all those year I've never had an issue with a branch damaging the tent. You do have to be a bit careful at times but it made it through all those trails without any tears to the cover. Having said that, it is not a bad idea to have a deflector on the roof rack in front of the tent to help with aerodynamics and branches. My current tent also survived my truck rolling onto the side and only slightly bent some brackets that were easy to straighten. I know Drew rolled his trailer several times with the tent on the roof of it and had no issues. A full vehicle roll over would likely destroy any tent though.
The additional benefit of the fold out tents is that they have more options you can attach to them, additional shelters and awnings. Of course those all add to the setup/folding time significantly. For me that always seemed like too much work but I can see a large benefit to having the extra covered space underneath.
Knowing you and how organized you are, your tear down time with the 74 (and packing everything in the containers and sliding those back in) will still likely be the same with a fold out tent and a bit shorter with a hard shell tent. With any tent you will hear noises, rain, wind more than inside the truck. You will still likely sleep better in the tent though as you have a lot more room and unless you have a very nice and comfortable bed done up on a shelf system the tent is more comfortable. You will have a lot more room to get dressed in the tent and overall comfort. A huge bonus of almost every tent is that you can leave your sleeping bag, pillow, and even a small bag with clothes in it and fold it up. The biggest setback of any tent is that you are not in your vehicle, so if for whatever reason you need to fire up and move the truck in the middle of the night you can't just hop into the seat and drive. Having said that, if you get a hard shell tent, you could modify it so that you have an opening in the floor to the sunroof below to allow you to do that if needed, also giving you a place to take your boots/jacket off in the vehicle and then climb up to sleep.

 

[Enigma]

I've had my RTT , a unbranded Chinese knockoff from "beastgear" bought off CL, for a couple of years now and have enjoyed it. The best improvement so far was getting an extra memory foam mattress topper from Jysk, extremely comfortable now.
If you sleep with the windows and covers zipped right up, you will get some condensation forming inside. I also added that underlay stuff Pete was selling between the floor and underside of mattress as it would get condensation in there at times. No issues now.
I've never had to deal with any any major wind so I can't really comment, but I would imagine it would be noisy. I have slept in it during some extremely heavy rain storms for days straight, and it was bone dry inside. Loud as hell with the rain pounding down...but dry. The awning entrance cover is a must I think in this climate like Mat has mentioned. I like the hardshells but they don't seem to have this option.
As for CoG, I did notice mine on the roof for sure. But I also have pretty soggy/soft springs that needs to be replaced. Deploying and stowing was quick enough, but was a bit of a pain in the ass as you have to climb around your truck like a monkey hanging off everything to tuck things in. No way my wife would be able to do that. If you do any tight wheeling in trees you need to pay special attention, like when I didn't and almost knocked the whole tent off complete with all my Thule bars right off and bent up all my gutters.
I have since moved the RTT off the truck and onto my M101....so much easier to deploy and stow. As for stowing when wet, it does suck as you have to open them as soon as possible and dry them out or it's mildew city.

Having said all that, If it's just me out camping, I sleep in my truck. It's just as comfy and even less set up time.

 

[Greg_B]

Technitop Hardshell Clam: Roomy one person, very tight two person. Not even sure it is still available new? They do show up used on occasion.

- Ease of deployment and pack-up (wet and dry)

Easy to set up and take down. Now that I have some thin blue closed cell foam and the underlay Pete was selling it's a little more work to close up. If you're just using thin sleeping gear then you could leave it in...but nothing much more then that. To help with packing I leave the windows and door unzipped a bit so air can get out. I am surprised how little water has got into the tent when packing up wet, but even so like everyone has said...you have to set it up and let it dry out as soon as you can. Pictures on line of the new ones (if they are still even making them) showed the aluminum support rods on the outside of the tent and I would guess this would add considerable room inside when folding it up with items inside.

- Aerodynamics (fuel economy, noise):

I put it on my 80 for a little bit when I 1st got it. But it did not stay there for long. It's been on my Cdn 101 for years. The cover is in need of replacement due to exposure, wear and tear.

- Water resistance (during wind or heavy vertical downpour):

It's never been a full temptest when I have been out in it, however for the regular rain and weather it's been okay.

- Wind resistance (noise and side wall stability) - important in the desert:

For the minor winds I have been in it has been fine. With the built in fly I can see that air getting between the fly and the tent might be an issue but I have not experienced any issue thus far. In a strong wind I could see that one might want to keep the small door and rear window cover rolled up but that's a guess as I have not had to.

- Condensation and ventilation:

I like sleeping with the windows open a bit so there is some air. Even with that I have noticed a bit of condensation at times. And with the thin stock foam mattress felt the cold through the plastic clam which has woken me up. Adding blue closed cell foam and the underlay that Pete was selling has help considerably.

- Weight and effect on center of gravity ( off chamber):

IIRC factory spec is 113lbs for this RTT. I had it on the 80 so long ago and for such a short period of time that I don't have the data.

- Fold out style (gain shelter) vs. pop up hard-shells (no shelter):

I can see the advantage of having a fold out RTT which in effect creates an additional room (if you buy the privacy sides) thus providing a cleaner and dryer area to get in and out of the tent. The Technitop fly does cover the entrance and the three windows, but not to the extent that the wood base clams do. That said I've seen photos on line of the Technitop with a room below the fold out section but not sure if that was a factory offering or someone creating.

- Other items to consider:

Ladder: The ladder sucks. I've yet to change it to one which is fully adjustable, but that's on the list.
Mattress: Stock one sucks. Better with the addition of some blue closed cell foam and and the air space creating underlay Pete was selling. Need to look at a new mattress though so it's just the mattress and underlay.
Fiberglass Poles: Starting to show their age as a hook at the end of one rod has broken off

As you know, I've been sleeping in the back of the 80 when it's just me. My drawer system is a little high which makes it uncomfortable getting in and out, however it's worked well overall. Are you looking at turfing the idea of sleeping inside a vehicle altogether, or pondering.

I've been pondering getting a Swag and using that under a side awning, and if the weather is really bad putting the sides on the awning.

hth's
gb

 

[crawlin cruiser]

We have a tepui (the 3 person model) got a good deal on it and I'm happy with it. It's never wet or damp inside. We can pack up our blankets and pillows inside collapse it and drive off. Only thing I did was add a rubber mat for underneath the ladder when folded up. The ladder beats the s*** out of the bottom of the tent while bouncing around on the trail, even on the road for that matter. We even used it in the f350 this summer!

 

[kim]

- Ease of deployment and pack-up (wet and dry)

- Hard Shell, Autohome, deploys in less than 5 minutes, same for stowage.
- Soft Shell, ARB style, deploys and stows in about 5 minutes

- Aerodynamics (fuel economy, noise).
- Hard Shell is quiet and fairly aerodynamic, for a tent on top of a brick
- Soft Shell, not so much, I notice that the covering bag catches a lot of wind but it is mounted on the trailer, behind the truck.

- Water resistance (during wind or heavy vertical downpour)
- Hard Shell is excellent for keeping water out when stowed and driving, also excellent when deployed and door is closed. the autohome really needs an awning in our wet climate.
- Soft Sheel is good, I also have the underlay that Pete made which has helped a lot.

- Wind resistance (noise and side wall stability) - important in the desert.
- Hard Shell deals with higher winds better than the clam shell tent with lots of flaps

- Condensation and ventilation.
- So far, the hard shell wins out here.

- Weight and effect on center of gravity ( off chamber).
- hard shell loses here as it is probably 150 lbs.

- Fold out style (gain shelter) vs. pop up hard-shells (no shelter).
- the lack of an awning is the only drawback on the autohome.

 

[Enigma]

One of the pros I would see to a hardshell type are the options some of them have for additional storage on opt of the roof, solar panels, etc.

And a good ladder as mentioned earlier. Mine is the telescoping model, works pretty good. A little hard on bare feet, but just keep some sandals handy.

 

[Scalp]

Sign up for the Coastal Cruiser Xmas Party...NOW

 

[Adventure Ready]

Hardshell tents will be FAR quieter in the wind because they don't have a separate rainshell and the tent fabric is much tighter. I personally own a James Baroud Grand Raid (on my truck) and an Eezi-Awn Series III 1800 (on my trailer).

The Eezi-Awn is terrible in the wind, even with the rain fly strapped down. Anything over a 30 km/h wind it's very, very noisy - to the point that it can be hard to fall asleep unless I'm completely exhausted or have gotten well into the Whiskey. If you do decide to go with a folding soft top model the James Baroud soft top tents will be lighter and quieter than others as they don't have a separate rain fly (the tent material is aluminumized and already 100% waterproof).

The James Baroud hard shell tent is a much different story. Three months ago I was on the Oregon coast with some friends during a crazy storm with 80+ km/h wind and horizontal rain. The James Baroud was completely silent, even while the car was rocking beneath me. That movement is actually the only thing that woke me up once or twice, and I also stayed 100% dry. Hard shell tents are far more aerodynamic as well. The fuel economy of my truck actually went up on the highway when I installed the James Baroud (compared to a bare platform rack).

With the rooftop tents you really do get what you pay for. From fabric, to fit and finish, to durability.

We are the PNW James Baroud dealer and I really don't mean to turn this into an advertisement, but I honestly do believe that their RTTs are the best out there. If you're ever in the Seattle area and want to check them out let me know.

Tom

 

[Glenn-BJ74]

Thanks for all good input.
For long days of driving south I want quick deployment.
I think the 'ideal' RTT would be a hard shell - allows solar adhesive panels, stiffer side walls for wind, automatic venting fan (less than 120lbs).

As you guys say - the ladders generally need to be replaced - what better ladders are there out there?

Any objective fuel economy information available - with and without the RTT?

Thanks Tom - I will check the JB out.

 

[Adventure Ready]

To use a different ladder with the James Baroud tents you will need to add hooks at the top to attach to the tent. Haven't done it but it shouldn't be too tough.
Don't have any close up pics of the attachment points but can take one if that's helpful.

Cheers.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Thanks for all good input.
For long days of driving south I want quick deployment.
I think the 'ideal' RTT would be a hard shell - allows solar adhesive panels, stiffer side walls for wind, automatic venting fan (less than 120lbs).

As you guys say - the ladders generally need to be replaced - what better ladders are there out there?

Any objective fuel economy information available - with and without the RTT?

Thanks Tom - I will check the JB out.

For a replacement ladder - Telescoping ladders are more stable and stronger then any RTT . Pack small open and close in seconds.

 

[Fantom]

They are a bit more expensive (well the good ones), but they are great. My RRT came with a small telescoping ladder and it's been great. Since I've made it detachable it comes in handy for other applications as well. This one looks like a good deal and goes to about 8':
http://www.amazon.com/AGPtek®-Porta...3480_1_24?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1416512241&sr=1-24

Easy enough to make clips or brackets for the top to secure it.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

For a replacement ladder - Telescoping ladders are more stable and stronger then any RTT . Pack small open and close in seconds.

Mine is a 750P Xtend although more costly it does have lower rating then the one above. Funny given the one above is 6063 and mine is 6061 a much stronger grade of aluminum

Our climate is dry, sandy, and extremely dusting> After a couple years of monthly use it still performs smoothly.

 

[Enigma]

Just out of curiosity since you are getting a roomy 80 series now, why not an interior sleeping platform? No huge cost like the RTT, and even quicker setup because if it's just you, you can leave it set up. Another, albeit costlier option, would be the aluminium flip top style Phil has on his 80.